Literary Blog Assignment #3

“I close my eyes and thrust my arm out. My blood drips onto the carpet between the two bowls. Then, with a gasp I can’t contain, I shift my hand forward, and my blood sizzles on the coals. I am selfish. I am brave.” (Roth, 47)

This is a powerful quote because it demonstrates that Beatrice is brave. This is shown when Beatrice makes a large forceful motion as she thrusts her hand over to the sizzling pile of coals of the Dauntless bowl and chooses to dedicate the rest of her living life towards that specific faction while leaving the remaining members of her once family behind her. The highlighted quote also states that Beatrice has gone against her faction of Abnegation by admitting to being selfish, which is against the selflessness quality that Abnegation upholds. Because of this, Beatrice shows that she does not fit in within her faction and demands to be somewhere different. This informs the audience that Beatrice is a very dynamic character as she has swayed from being selfless within the Abnegation faction, to being brave by joining the Dauntless faction. Roth states, “I shift my hand forward, and my blood sizzles on the coals.” (Roth, 47) This quote is highlighted by the author’s use of diction that is created by the choice of words. The author’s use of diction by choosing words such as “thrust” and “sizzle” emphasize the action that is happening within the quote, and thus makes the reader urge to read more of the story and want to know what will continue to happen next. Because of this, Beatrice is shown to be a brave soul to leave her faction of Abnegation and join the Dauntless faction, and that the author’s choice of diction emphasizes her choice to choose the Dauntless faction.

Literary Blog Number 2 Assignment

Who is the main Protagonist?

The main protagonist of Divergent is the strong-willed 16 year old Beatrice who grew up within the Abnegation faction, which values selflessness. Being from Abnegation, Beatrice wears bland grey clothes with her blonde hair done up in a bun. Beatrice was born into a family of four, her mother and father; Natalie and Andrew Prior, and her brother Caleb. Beatrice isn’t lie the other Abnegation residents as she doesn’t value selflessnes. An example of when she didn’t show selflessness is when she thought about not answering a factionless man when he asked for food “A stern voice in my head says, duck your head and keep walking.” (Roth, 25.) Another example of this is when she was asking questions towards her parents while eating dinner, which is something that she isn’t allowed to do. “I look up. “A report?” Caleb gives me a warning look. We aren’t supposed to speak at the dinner table unless our parents ask us a direct question, and they usually don’t.” (Roth, 34.) Upon turning sixteen, Beatrice was obliged to take her aptitude tests, which is the tests that sixteen year olds are given in order to decide which faction they want to dedicate the rest of their lives towards. During these tests, she learned she was Divergent, meaning she fit into various factions. Beatrice later decided to go with Dauntless and transferred factions form Abnegation because the Abnegation lifestyle wasn't fitting for her personality. Upon transfer to Dauntless, Beatrice renamed herself "Tris" in order to have a fresh start. Shortly after renaming herself, she began training in order to be initiated fully into the Dauntless faction.

Outline the setting of your novel.

As of Chapter 5 of Divergent, there has been lots of information about the setting. The setting takes place in what appears to be post apocalyptic Earth, within a dystopian city. This city is split into five factions, all of which glorify a certain quality of humanity. The five factions are as followed; Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Erudite (the intelligent), Amity (the peaceful), and Candor (the honest). As of currently, the majority of the story has been told from within the Abnegation faction as the main character Beatrice was born and raised within it’s walls. Abnegation, being the faction that glorifies selflessness, believes in helping others and not drawing attention to oneself. Because of this, many of the objects and other things in the Abnegation faction are in grayscale, or in a bland colour scheme; such as the clothes and the identical housing. Once Beatrice switches her faction from Abnegation to Dauntless when she turns 16, she is introduced to a whole new type of scenery. The Dauntless faction is very different in terms of looks compared to Abnegation. Because it doesn’t glorify selflessness and instead upholds bravery, the surrounding buildings and clothes have colour and aren’t bland. One of the main areas within the Dauntless faction is The Pit. The Pit is a large underground compound consisting of a large hollowed out pit with a glass roof. Surrounding The Pit built into the walls are various shops, stores, and other activities such as tattoo parlors.

-jacob